'Failed affair & blackmail' made ASP shoot himself

JAIPUR: A failed affair seem to be the primary reason behind the shocking suicide of Rajasthan police department's additional SP Ashish Prabhakar, who killed a 25-year-old old woman before shooting himself with his service pistol on Thursday night. The police have identified the woman as Poonam Sharma, a resident of Alwar, who has been allegedly harassing the deceased cop since 2013.
According to Jaipur police, in his two-page suicide note, Prabhakar said that the woman had harassed him for four years and it was his duty to punish her.
“Ashish Prabhakar alleged that Poonam had ruined his life, robbed him of mental peace and family comfort. He also wrote that he was duped by the girl's false promise of love,“ said Manish Agarwal, deputy commissioner of police (south). Poonam Sharma, a resident of Alwar's Rajgarh area, was preparing for Rajasthan Administrative Servi ces(RAS) in Jaipur. In 2011, she had divorced her husband.
She came into contact with Prabhakar in 2013 when he was serving as circle officer in Jaipur. Poonam Sharma, a resident of Alwar's Rajgarh area, was preparing for Rajasthan Administrative Services(RAS) in Jaipur. In 2011, she had divorced her husband.
She came into contact with Prabhakar in 2013 when he was serving as circle officer in Jaipur. Cops said that Prabhakar had also written a letter to his wife and kids apologizing for ending his life.
“Prabhakar asked his wife and kids to forgive him.He said that for the last four years a woman was harassing him and he couldn't suffer the mental agony any further,“ said Agarwal.
In a second letter, Prabhakar mentioned five names and seven numbers of various people. “The deceased cop wrote that Poonam had relations with oth er people too. He has given five names and seven numbers. He has asked the police to probe the call detail records (CDR) of these numbers,“ Agarwal said.
The police said they were investigating the suicide letter and the names and numbers mentioned by the cop. “While Prabhakar has not said that he was being blackmailed by the woman, we cannot rule out the possibility yet. Also, we have not figured out how a seasoned cop like Prabhakar was harassed by the woman,“ another officer associated with the investigation told TOI on condition of anonymity.
Police team to probe conspiracy angle
Police said they found two empty cartridges that additional SP Ashish Prabhakar fired from his Glock pistol which was issued to him by the Rajasthan anti-terrorism squad (ATS). “Poonam's body was on his lap and blood was trickling from their head. One bullet had pierced the roof of the SUV,“ said an official. The cops also found two cans of beer outside the car and a bottle of breezer. Investigation team is probing if the woman had come in contact with the officer as part of a pre-planned conspiracy. At 7.30pm on Thursday evening, Prabhakar had himself informed the police control room that a suspicious vehicle was seen near Jagatpura before he committed suicide. After a couple of hours, a passerby informed the Shivdaspura police Station that an SUV has been found parked in the area with two bodies inside it. “The FSL report will reveal the actual time of shooting. The team also collected blood samples from the car,“ cops said.